


Crimson Daffodils

by Amazing_is_u



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, F/M, Ficlet, Hanahaki Disease, Not Canon Compliant, Percy has Hanahaki, Sad Ending, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29073483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amazing_is_u/pseuds/Amazing_is_u
Summary: And there’s the windflower chillyWith all the winds at play,And there’s the Lenten lilyThat has not long to stayAnd dies on Easter day.- A.E. Housman, “The Lent Lily”
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Kudos: 7





	Crimson Daffodils

Percy looked at the bloomed daffodil sitting in his palm. The beautiful yellow flower was speckled in blood. His coughing fits had been getting worse lately, and the amount of petals that came out became more abundant by the day. He looked back and saw Annabeth, her blonde curls falling down her back, her stormy grey eyes glistening as she talked to another camper. That’s who Annabeth’s heart truly belonged to, not the sea green eyed boy sitting on the pier. The pain was horrible, and he wasn’t sure what to do.

Option one was confessing to a girl who was happy with another. Option two, the only other option, was dying, choking on the beautiful flowers that vaguely reminded him of Annabeth’s hair. He hung his head in resignation, he knew what he was going to decide. He stood up on the pier and let the blood stained flower float down into the water. It glided across the lake as if it was a boat. The son of Poseidon looked back, he’d had a good life. He’d let one of his closest friends enjoy her life without being burdened with this problem.

Sadly, the gods didn’t have that in mind. As the campers ate dinner, Percy erupted into a slew of coughs. The campers looked over at him concern tracing their faces. The coughs weren’t ceasing. Grover, Annabeth, and Chiron hurried over worry etched on their faces. He turned away trying to speak through the coughs, he felt a flower coming up his throat. He needed to get away but he couldn’t move. His body was bent over, the bloody flower fell onto the table followed by handfuls of petals. He gasped for breathe, air filling the little amount of space remaining in his lungs.

Annabeth looked on in horror. Grover managed to speak softly placing a hand on his back, “Who is it dude?”

Percy shook his head, his voice came out in a hoarse whisper, “It doesn’t matter, it’s too late Grover.” His lungs felt full, by this time tomorrow he would be gone, nothing but a corpse. A memory of a hero, who instead of dying in battle, had died by love.

“Percy,” Chiron said sadly, he’d lost many a hero, many even in camp, but this was almost to much for the centaur, “Why didn’t you do something sooner?”

Percy smiled, “You know me gotta be a hero.”

“A hero!” Annabeth yelled, her stormy grey eyes looked like clouds in the middle of a thunderstorm, “How is this being a hero, seaweed brain? Just confess to the person! There’s still a chance!” Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

Percy stood up looking down at the daffodils sadly, “Because the person is happy,” he looked up at Annabeth a smile crossed his face, blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, “I’d just get in the way.”

Percy walked away leaving the campers stunned, he looked like he was breathing heavily, almost like every breath was barley enough to keep him moving. The next day they found him, laying peacefully in his bed. Yellow petals and flowers surrounded the corpse. On his chest laid a note:

_Dear Friends,_

_Please don’t miss me, I chose this. For the person I loved, I’m sorry. I hope you’ll be happy with the one you love. I didn’t want to cause you pain knowing about this, but I guess that I ruined that. I guess I didn’t get to die an old man, or even while saving the world. Funny, you save the world once without dying and then something like this gets you. Please tell my mom I love her, there’s a letter for her in my desk._

_See you guys in the Underworld,_

_Percy Jackson_

__

The funeral was sorrowful, it wasn’t like the last one. Where it was possible for Percy to come back. This time they had the body. This time they knew he was gone, this was avoidable and they all knew it. The campers looked around the area curiously, trying to see who had captured the son of Poseidon’s heart, the person who had ultimately caused his death. “Stupid Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth cried. She held his letter in her hand, the parchment crumpled under her fingers. Grover placed his hand on Annabeth’s shoulder, trying his best to comfort the girl. Every camper came to the funeral, even some of the gods came. The loss was felt everywhere, and the daughter of Athena felt it the most. She had found Percy’s journal, in the end she had found out. In the end she felt the sadness and guilt the boy had tried to prevent. He had failed at his last quest.


End file.
